Au Revoir Snow

 Looking out at our front garden it seems a good time to leave for Florida.

Appropriately we're having one of the biggest Christmas/New Year snowfalls in my memory anyway. I am the foreigner with the GB sticker crawling along the road through the blizzard desperately praying not to skid and even more desperately praying for some impatient driver to overtake me so I can follow his tracks. Eventually someone does.
  My first ski of the season was on tuesday with visiting family. It was pretty icy but I did feel a little pang of sorrow at leaving it all behind.
  Also left behind will be my friends at the feeder.

 There were hordes of them there today, including a nuthatch and  a bright red cardinal who of course flew away as soon as I found the camera. It's as if they know it'll be slim pickings for a while. I feel another pang at the thought of exchanging them for mocking birds splashing in the Florida bird bath and disconcertingly imitating the telephone.
  So now, speaking of birds,  it's headless chicken packing time. The friendly neighbour who used to come out and plough our drive has stopped answering his phone, so I hope we can get out tomorrow.